''I think it was cool that (Obama) was here and it was great for our University,'' Maryland coach Mark Turegon said. ''It brought out a bigger crowd. Hopefully, he was able to relax a little bit.''

Wearing a long-sleeved black polo shirt and jeans, Obama received cheers and a few jeers from many in the packed house before the game as he walked behind the scorer's table toward his front-row seat. He waved in appreciation before settling into his seat between his daughters, Malia and Sasha.

None of the attention appeared to deter Obama from enjoying a first-hand view of a sport he has long followed

After the Beavers scored the first eight points of the second half to take a 46-38 lead, the margin reached 12 points before a 3-pointer by Jake Layman sparked a 12-4 run that got Maryland to 61-57.

But Oregon State used a 7-0 spurt to make it 72-63, and the Beavers - especially Nelson and Collier - subsequently had an answer for every Maryland surge.

After drive by Wells made it 84-81, Nelson responded by sinking a soft jumper with 29 seconds left to clinch it.

The first half ended tied at 38 after Wells sank a jumper just inside the midcourt line an instant after the buzzer sounded. The shot was initially called good, and the President stared intently at the video board to catch the replay.

Nelson scored 16 in a seesaw half that featured 12 ties and eight lead changes. The Beavers went 13 for 22 (59 percent) from the field but offset that by committing 11 turnovers and allowing the Terrapins to grab 11 offensive rebounds.